PS3 hacker flees to South America

By Fred Dutton Published 23 March, 2011

Sony claims Geohot is on the run.

George 'Geohot' Hotz, the hacker behind the well-publicised PlayStation 3 security breach earlier this year, has scarpered to South America rather than go toe-to-toe with Sony's lawyers, according to the disgruntled platform holder.

Court documents filed by Sony and dug up by VGHQ claim that Geohot has been deliberately non-compliant with demands to present various devices for inspection, and has now turned tail and fled the country.

"Though the evidence establishing personal jurisdiction is already overwhelming, SCEA has little doubt that there is much more," read Sony's complaint.

"However, over the last several weeks. Hotz has engaged in a campaign to thwart jurisdictional discovery at every turn – regardless of whether the Court has ordered such discovery or not.

"Most seriously, after Magistrate Judge Spero ordered an inspection of Hotz's devices and ordered Hotz to appear at a deposition in California, SCEA learned that Hotz had deliberately removed integral components of his impounded hard drives prior to delivering them to a third party neutral and that Hotz is now in South America, an excuse for why he will not immediately provide the components of his hard drives as requested by the neutral.

"Hotz's attempts to dodge this Court's authority raise very serious questions."

It's safe to say things are looking decidedly dicey for poor old George. Sony is now also claiming that he lied to the court about having a PlayStation Network account.

"Hotz identified four PS3 Systems in his possession. He explained that he had purchased one of these consoles new in February 2010 and provided the serial number for that console. SCEA used that serial number to determine that on February 25, 2010, Hotz purchased the PS3 System at a Gamestop store just miles from his home.

"SCEA's records show that the same PS3 System was used on March 10, 2010 to create a PSN account under the user name 'blickmanic.' The IP address associated with the registration is located in Glen Rock, New Jersey, where Hotz lives."

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (141) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Mister-Wario #1 1 year ago

    Man, I really didn't see something like this happening.

  • Kill_Crazy #2 1 year ago

    Wonder if Sony Entertainment will buy the film rights?

  • E2K #3 1 year ago

    I feel bad for George Hotz..
    He deserves it though: his desire for hacking-fame endangers the ability of my PS3 to received lots of AAA exclusives every year.
    And anyone who messes with my AAA PS3 exclusives, deserves to go to jail.
    This is dictated by ps3ology-law.

  • Abscido #4 1 year ago

    Home Peru.

  • Armoured_Gideon #5 1 year ago

    Finally, that real life crossover of 'Hackers' and 'Catch Me If You Can' I've been waiting for. Dreams do come true!

  • jaguarwong #6 1 year ago

    The guy's totally innocent, it's a frame up, he's just... On holiday!

    Yeah that's it - He's on Holiday!

  • StolenGlory #7 1 year ago

    Nathan Drake is gonna seriously fuck this guy up when he gets his hands on him.

  • Darren #8 1 year ago

    Tut, tut. This is the guy who claimed he wasn't doing anything illegal yet appears to be doing everything he can to implicate himself as a criminal! If he had nothing to hide then why lie and deceive in the first place? Answer: because he *is* guilty as charged (or, will be, *when* they catch him).

    Pah, he deserves everything he's got coming to him IMO.

  • sonicyoda #9 1 year ago

    Awesome tagline.

    What!? They changed it from 'George of the Jungle'.
    Edited by sonicyoda at 23/03/11 @ 16:10

  • LetsGo #10 1 year ago

    So thats what the money that people donated to him to help defend himself in court went towards....!

  • E2K #11 1 year ago

    Already see the teaser-trailer:

    A helicopter lands on a small island, secret agents walking towards a man who is under an umbrella, enjoying a coconut drink on the beach. An agents says (in japanese, subtitled) "we need you, security has been breached"
    the man removes his sunglasses and is revealed to be K. Katuragi
    In another shot, George Hotz is walking towards his wife and their newborn, but notices the Sony/FBI-agents on the lookout
    narrator: "his hacking made him who he is today, but can he leave everything behind?.."
    Next, a metro-chase scene, with added shooting.
    then, fade to black, and a release date is shown.

    Of course, columbia tristar is making the film :-D

  • NimbusTLD #12 1 year ago

    I think he's fleeing because whether or not he is found guilty or not, Sony is going to make his life a living hell. If anything, Sony wins either way, as this will act as a deterrent to anyone wanting to hack their console publicly!

  • fr05t #13 1 year ago

    i bet if he handed over all his computers and stuff they would of found tons of illegal media files :-)

  • azix2 #14 1 year ago

    and we know for a fact that Sony did not falsify those records or that he wasnt the one who made the account. People are still siding with sony on this. You have no idea what all this will mean for our future. Imagine he couldnt even defend himself if he didnt get donations from people. Imagine another individual up against someone like sony without the means for donations. Imagine how much power over his person sony is being given and imagine what sony will be able to get away with later on. You are so worried about being able to play a few games a year (which would not even be affected) that you ditch rights and common sense. The judge should have dismissed this long ago if he/she was respectable. the judge has given sony all that a new jersey judge could give (except money and jail time for hotz) without the case having been proven to be in that particular judges jurisdiction. Anyone with sense would realize that only sonys PSN TOS could prove jurisdiction and that thing is weird to begin with. It SHOULD only govern PSN and hotz didnt hack psn

  • MerricK #15 1 year ago

    FINISH HIM!
    Edited by MerricK at 23/03/11 @ 16:01

  • TheDudesRug #16 1 year ago

    @Abscido

    Brilliant.

  • Feanor #17 1 year ago

    "I thought the guy must be evil the way people were talking about him, so I look him up on youtube and see his ipod hacking video, and the guy seems like a genuine nice bloke. He is not making money from this, he could have sold hacked iphones for a shit load of cash but he didn't. I think he sees himself as a modern Robin Hood or something. He thinks he is helping people."

    Yeah, that's why he used the donations he solicited to flee to South America.

    Also, if you're on his youtube page, check out his awesome rap. He's geuninely something, alright.

  • butler` #18 1 year ago

    as i've always said, they should be offering him a job, not taking him to court

    even if it's in their marketing department, he certainly knows how to make headlines.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #19 1 year ago

    Run, George, Run!

    Maybe he can find some former Nazis to put him up. Or maybe he can have the room the ancient vampires had set aside for Mitchell.

  • arcam #20 1 year ago

    Does anyone think he has actually fled? Like, run off to Argentina with no intention of coming back?

    I expect to see a slightly less sensational follow-up to this story tomorrow...

  • DavoTheDiv #21 1 year ago

    Not so clever now are ya!

  • Feanor #22 1 year ago

    "Does anyone think he has actually fled? Like, run off to Argentina with no intention of coming back?

    I expect to see a slightly less sensational follow-up to this story tomorrow..."

    You may well be right, but it's the alleged hard drive fiddling that is the real story.

  • bf #23 1 year ago

    I find it very worrying that sony, and probably ms and niny as well, tag their customers like that. Don't like that at all.

    As for not providing evidence, ask yourself who says he hasn't and what they have to gain from doing so? Besides given that we live in a world where money decides the courts dodging feel like the way to go.

    For those of you who genuinely feel that "the innocent have nothing to fear" I recommend a trip your local library where a brief study of oppressive regimes policies ought to open up an eye or two.

  • Collymilad #24 1 year ago

    Sonybots, downvote!

    Ahh yeah, we should all root for the massive corporation hunting one guy down. It's the western way!

    :p

  • LazyNinjaUk #25 1 year ago

    WOW! :|

    Wonder if Sony will persaude the US government to send a CIA snatch squad to South America to 'extradite' him.

  • stepleftstepright #26 1 year ago

    Story line that fits the second inception movie!

    I am seriously guessing that he has a lot of illegal stuff on his HDD. I still don't like Sony on this battle.

  • menage #27 1 year ago

    Too hotz.

  • Fab4 #28 1 year ago

    At least Ronnie Biggs had a criminal sounding name.

  • KayJay #29 1 year ago

    Retro_Ghost - Do a deeper search and check out his PS3 Rap... Your view I believe would change :)

  • ZizouFC #30 1 year ago

    I bet Sony are LOLing at him.

    What a pussay.

  • LetsGo #31 1 year ago

    I can't belied the amount of people on hear who think he is a hero and Sony should leave him alone.

    He hacked the PS3 so you can play PIRATE SOFTWARE. Attacking developers, the very people who make games for your great hobby.

    It's not about being a Sony or Microsoft 'bot', its about being a lover of games.

  • X201 #32 1 year ago

    @LazyNinjaUk

    Mossad would be a safer bet. They have a history of making people hiding in South America appear in places that they don't want to be.

  • solidSnake04 #33 1 year ago

    hahah fodeu-se

  • jonbwfc #34 1 year ago

    I'd imagine they're hotz on his trail.

  • drumbaby #35 1 year ago

    This clearly shows other would-be hackers that you do not fuck with the Jesus.

  • the_dudefather #36 1 year ago

    @parsnip

    Arnie played robocop?

    HASTA LA VISTA...CREEP

  • beastmaster #37 1 year ago

    Let's see you rap your way out of this one fucker!

  • stevethemeat #38 1 year ago

    I can just imagine Geotwat sat in a little hut, deep in the jungle,sweating and brushing bugs from his face when all of a sudden Arnie kicks the door in,points a shotgun and gives one of his classic lines like 'DEAD OR ALIVE,YOUR COMING WITH ME'

    Pretty sure that Murphy/Robocop said that line.

    oops, someone beat me to it :/
    Edited by stevethemeat at 23/03/11 @ 16:17

  • ricpamiwor #39 1 year ago

    Nice to see where everybody's PayPal donations went! This was all a massive con to get a holiday to Peru!

    Genius.

    Seriously though, I hate George Hotz and his inflated ego so I hope Sony get him and get him good!

  • menage #40 1 year ago

    @Retro Ghost

    Chris "I like to beat my GF and when somebody asks me about it I throw another fit" Brown?

  • captainCandy #41 1 year ago

    Nice beaches and girls in Brazil!

  • RobotRocker #42 1 year ago

    Since everyone has already decided that hes guilty and he has zero chance of any sort of fair trial due to sony's information land grab and various other reasons this does seem tot be the only option available to him unfortantly.

    Stupid of him to run. His attorney's could have reasonably argued that the negative coverage of the case from IGN, Gamespot, and the like could have prejudiced a jury and had it dismissed as if the specialist press has labelled him guilty, there was no chance of him standing a fair trial.

    Oh well, wonder what's going to happen now. Will laugh if Sony invokes the wrath of 4Chan with this.

  • MavSkipper #43 1 year ago

    "George, George, George of New Jersey, genius as he can be... aaaahhhhh... watch out for SO-NY."

  • drxym #44 1 year ago

    @TruthSlayer he's not on trial. He's being sued. It's a civil matter. However it could easily turn into contempt of court in which case it could become a criminal matter and even if it remained civil could see him thrown in the slammer until he complied with any court orders.

  • midnight_walker #45 1 year ago

    Why were we all hanging off George's nuts not so long back, but now we all want him to die in the jungle?

    You're a fickle lot.

  • JesseDeya #46 1 year ago

    @Armoured_Gideon

    I thought the same thing about Catch Me If You Can... so I made this:

    http://i.imgur.com/4xpns.jpg

  • Widge #47 1 year ago

    Microsoft, Nintendo, Apple will be loving what Sony are doing. The threat of this sort of action will put people off hacking future systems. I'd imagine they are silently approving from the sidelines.

  • izerman76 #48 1 year ago

    Doesn't anyone else wonder how SONY has "learned" that Geohot has delivered his drives elsewhere and is in South America?

    The judge has not revealed anything, as if that was the case the announcement would state so. So, unless Geohot - after flleeing to S. America - informed Sony that he had hidden the hard drives, the only logical conclusion is that Sony had him under surveillance.

    That's a comforting thought.

  • chubster2010 #49 1 year ago

    A man of principle then? Standing by his actions!

    It warms the heart, it really does...

  • FortysixterUK #50 1 year ago

    Frankly, whether or not Geohot is a nice guy or not...he did not seem to be profiting from any of this, so frankly, sony are going in a tad heavy handed.

    I suggested we all embargo ps3 games until they stop chasing Geohot.

    Then maybe sony will see the light and instead hire the guy to work on systems security.

    However, I've said it once and I'll say it again... the best anti piracy security you can get is to sell everyone one of your new releases at £19.99. People won't bother to copy them when they are dirt cheap.

    Oh...and release EVERY game in EVERY country, so people don''t have to go to ludicrous lengths to import games.

    I suppose another method of keeping prices down would be to give all the high street games a shop a remastering facility, and a server rack with ISO's of every game ever released on a format, you pay £20.00, they burn off a copy of the game for you and give you it in a generic xbox /ps3/wii game case. The DVD/BRDs they write too already have the copy protection system on them, they just burn the game data back to the blank disc. The manual is also burnt to the disc in a format that allows it to be read on your TV.

    They tried this in the days of the C64 and if they had perservered it would have worked.

  • 8bitMofo #51 1 year ago

    I heard he just popped over for a week to jailbreak Fidels PS3.

  • siro #52 1 year ago

    Yeah, George Hotz is a genius hacker and all, but he's also a stupid punk nonetheless.

    He'll learn to behave in his 5+ years in jail, I'm sure.

  • Ranger101 #53 1 year ago

    There's something disturbing going on in this thread - most of the sensible comments are being massively downvoted. That's scary when you consider:

    1) Due Process
    2) This is a civil matter, not criminal
    3) Large corporations should always be scrutinized in legal matters against private individuals (absolute power corrupts, absolutely)
    4) We do not know George Hotz intentions, we can only assume

  • MojoDex #54 1 year ago

    @8bitMofo

    fidel is in north america technically!

  • lordofthedunce #55 1 year ago

    This whole story is awesome.

    Let's hope Sony now hires Dog the Bounty Hunter to bring George in.

    It's got a way to go before it's Gizmondo good, but there's time yet.

  • youhavenomail #56 1 year ago

    Looks like he's realised that there are some jails that even he can't break.

  • orangpelupa #57 1 year ago

    G.Hotz is indeed wrong in some things here but im afraid if SONY win this case, it will bring the Freedom of use (and human rights) go down a few level....

    maybe today its still okay, but if this trend continue, what will happend in next 10 years or so.
    maybe by that time if i "buy" Xbox 999999", PS9999, Nintendo Holowiideck, doing these things will result in jail?
    - selling original game to other person
    - lending my game to my friend
    - lending my PSN account to my friend
    - singing/humming metalgear theme (i didnt pay license to sing, i just pay the game)
    - painting my PS from black to black with stripes.
    - buying electricity header converter from Plug type G to Type A. and so on.


    i know thats kind of paranoid and hyperbole :p

    EDIT:
    and here im upvoting those good-minded and informed posters here that weirdly, got downvote.
    Edited by orangpelupa at 23/03/11 @ 16:49

  • patootik #58 1 year ago

    Ahhhhh, first the Crysis 2 review and not Geohot fleeing to South America, what a great couple of days for sitting back a reading a few Eurogamer comments pages :)

  • RobotRocker #59 1 year ago

    i think your being delusional thinking that if games were only £20 there would be no piracy, thats still £20 difference from being free is nt it? and besides i dont think games are too expensive, i mean i was paying £45 20 years ago for megadrive games with only a fraction of the work needed to create them than todays games.

    Historically, every price drop the industry has done on new release games (Such as the drop in 1998 for Driver/V-Rally 2 and the 2002 panic drop after the Fairplay campaign) has resulted in increased sales and better profits (Hitman 2 probably being the biggest benefit from this). But this is a derail.

    There is a very concerning trend in this case of the judge bending over backwards for Sony. As said, if he was under private survielance by Sony, that is extremely worrying. A principled judge would actually have chucked the case out (Or at least a significant portion of evidence) if it was undermining the work of public investigators like the FBI in the case.

  • arcam #60 1 year ago

    More likely than Sony secretly surveilling Hotz to track his movements is that they asked him where he was and he told them...

  • patootik #61 1 year ago

    Ok come one everyone.

    Surely it is illegal to hack a console and state so publicly and show how it's done allowing for piracy etc.

    But at the same time Sony's handling of this is a bit too over top.

    Surely thats the long and short of it right? Or maybe I'm missing something.

    ps. I'm no Legal Eagle, this is just how it looks to me.

  • darkmorgado #62 1 year ago

    @LetsGo


    He hacked the PS3 so you can play PIRATE SOFTWARE. Attacking developers, the very people who make games for your great hobby.
    "

    No he didn't. The hack he released specifically PREVENTED any pirate games from running.

    Nice try though.

  • modo_komodo #63 1 year ago

    It's just like that Harrison Ford movie: The Fugitive.

    I'm excited.

  • adredelia #64 1 year ago

    Sony Sucks balls anyway lol

  • adredelia #65 1 year ago

    Ps3 = Doorstop sequel/Remake game machine lol

  • Vortex808 #66 1 year ago

    So can Sony Peru-ve anything?

    /Gets coat and leaves.

  • Dizzy #67 1 year ago

    All hail corporate bullying.

  • Phredreeke #68 1 year ago

    Quick, everyone drop what we're doing, we got a war* criminal on the run!!!!!!!!11111eleven


    * if you define war as breaking into a system you legally bought

  • kangarootoo #69 1 year ago

    I have no specific opinion on the man himself... I did think his rap was an immature and petulant act of defiance, but its existence says nothing about his innocence or lack thereof.


    However, tampering with physical evidence, if that has indeed taken place, was a supremely stupid thing to do.
    Fleeing the country when being sued is also a supremely stupid thing to do.

    Of course this thread is full of witch hunters, and it is also full of supporters championing his cause as some kind of freedom fighter. I agree with neither stance, as neither stance seems genuinely concerned with whether he is innocent or guilty - how can they be, when we don't actually know that fact yet? Rather they seem concerned with what he apparently stands for.


    I don't know if he is innocent.
    I don't know if he is guilty.
    I do know that messing with evidence and jumping the country is really really stupid (though I don't believe the country jumping bit for a second - I think that is just a very crap diversion story).

  • jonbwfc #70 1 year ago

    @Ranger101 "3) Large corporations should always be scrutinized in legal matters against private individuals (absolute power corrupts, absolutely) "

    I think you'lll find the whole point of the law is it's supposed to be objective. Large corporations have to live under the same rules as small ones and individuals like Hotz. Ever heard the phrase 'the law is blind'?

    And if you actually think SCEA have anything approaching 'absolute power', you're an utter fool.

    Jon

  • ryandsimmons #71 1 year ago

    Theres also the whole courts giving sony LOTS more info they than need, like IP'S of veryone who visited his site, watched his youtube etc


    Actually they did need it. The whole point of much of this excercise is not whether Sony can sue him, but rather WHERE they can. The use of the IP addresses is purely to say "look, 12345654 people FROM HERE visited his site, therefore here is a good place to have the case."

    This whole IP situation is rather misunderstood and people are reading too much into it.

  • mcwildcard #72 1 year ago

    He's finally realised that his Asperger's syndrome is no match for the law.

  • Gizzle #73 1 year ago

    Next update: Hotz escapes to start a new life...under the sea. There'll be no accusations, just friendly crustaceans under the seeeeea...

  • drxym #74 1 year ago

    @Boristhespie I do sympathize with him. Sony has been incredibly heavy handed with their discovery process. On the other hand, what did the guy expect when he started releasing cracks for a multi billion dollar platform? Sony probably decided come down hard to discourage other prospective crackers and also to enjoinder Geohot while all this was wending its way through court.

    As for Geohot's rights, that's for his defence to sort out. Fleeing to South America to avoid fulfilling a court order hardly makes him look good in front of the judge though.

  • the_dudefather #75 1 year ago

    "I got in one little lawsuit and my mom got scared
    and said 'you're going into hiding in South American Bel Air'"

  • Viz1 #76 1 year ago

    I feel sorry for all the people who donated to him.... Free holiday paid for, he is smart..

    On way to airport for my share back

  • coolbritannia #77 1 year ago

    Just scandalous how Sony are acting throughout all this. They are ruining the guys life, and he's pretty harmless.

  • YailBloor #78 1 year ago

    Who does he think he is, Ken Kesey?

  • drxym #79 1 year ago

    @Widge MS, Sony and Nintendo have all pursued similar goals in the past. I recall the shit Sony got when Lik Sang (voluntarily) went out of business, most people conveniently forgetting that Nintendo had taken them to court previously too. And Nintendo & MS are very active prosecuting modchip / cart suppliers, even filing criminal complaints where the law allows.

  • Feanor #80 1 year ago

    "Doesn't anyone else wonder how SONY has "learned" that Geohot has delivered his drives elsewhere and is in South America?"

    Geohot's lawyers told them. You can take off your tinfoil hat now.

  • superstu1337 #81 1 year ago

    What a piece of trash.

  • evnewell #82 1 year ago

    you know what... this feels weak and kinda hypocritical on Hotz's part. The guy was obviously seeking some attention for his hack jobs. He's allowed to do that. He has negatively impacted Sony's business model and potentially harmed Sony consumers. He's allowed to do that... provided he's willing to face the music.

    the legal system is looking at the facts, and they don't seem to favor Hotz. That's the game your playing, boss. You picked a fight with sony and you assumed what? That they'd back down, that they'd just throw their money away? Did you assume that we PS consumers would have your back? I don't. I don't purchase pirated software. I'm a 3D animator - people are feeding their families with games revenue, but geohot knows best.

    If you're going to pick a fight, stick around and finish it even if you're losing. If you're going to claim you've done nothing wrong, be open and available to the legal system and let them see for themselves. failing to comply and running away really makes it seem like you've not only done wrong, but you know it.

    Hey Hotz, next time you want to hack a console that I own: DON'T. Fuck off and leave this shit alone.

    Gets what he deserves.

  • GreyBeard #83 1 year ago

    Honestly, even if Hotz has just gone to Rio for spring break, he's already painted himself into a corner with the rest of his antics.

    Removing the driver PCB's from the HD's the court demanded he provide for 3rd party inspection is brazenly obstructive (its obvious, deliberate sabotage), and is not the actions of an innocent plaintiff. I cannot imagine the judge will be impressed.

  • arcam #84 1 year ago

    @evnewell, others

    Remember this whole article is the story as told by Sony lawyers.

    There is no point of view from the judge, no comeback from George Hotz or his lawyers. The only quotes come from Sony's legal team describing the situation in the manner most favourable to their case.

    I'm not saying there's no truth here, but you would be silly to base any hard conclusions from listening to one team of lawyers that are paid to present a favourable case for Sony.

  • Mkwone #85 1 year ago

    Regardless of you're position on the case, there's no doubt that Geohot is acting like a jerk. And by failing to meet the judges demands he's not doing himself any favours.

  • GreyBeard #86 1 year ago

    @Arcam
    Remember this whole article is the story as told by Sony lawyers.

    No its not.

    Geohot being "out of the country" came from his own legal team, and the info about the sabotaged drives was from the court appointed independant data-recovery analysts.
    Edited by GreyBeard at 23/03/11 @ 17:47

  • mikeleddy83 #87 1 year ago

    Hotz is currently on vacation in a South American country. As common sense would dictate, there is no reason to "flee" from a civil case

    -PSX Scene

    http://psx-scene.com/forums/f6/geohot-fl...
    Edited by mikeleddy83 at 23/03/11 @ 17:59

  • SavageEvil #88 1 year ago

    Lots of fun comments to read, personally I don't really care too much. This is all down to software rights violations, but Sony obviously has to go about things through the legal system to make an example of someone, who better than the person who most publicized the hacking of PS3?

    Those of you saying he released his build that only allows homebrew, so with the included security keys hackers will be able to use the key to do what? I hate when people try to justify his actions, what is the basis of this? Before Sony released those updates to combat the jailbreaks that allowed people to un ban themselves and assorted type of stupid things that made playing online in certain games a pain, exactly who was to blame for that? The crappy defence that Sony should have not goofed on their security is utter garbage, that is like saying if ADT goofed on securing your house it's their fault someone broke into your house because you left the door unlocked...no the fault goes with the person who broke in. You can mistakenly do a lot of things, but no one MISTAKENLY breaks into anything that isn't theirs.

    Sony being a large corporation doesn't mean jack except the fact that they have access to a lot of money so they can keep going until this trials comes to a head. Why Sony is pursuing this with such fervor is this the first time that they actually have anything to pin on an "alleged" hacker, screw what you think this is the opening that they were waiting for. Competition from rival companies is what keeps us getting great stuff from both as they try to out do one another, pirates just cause those people working hard at games to lose money and in the long run, we lose money and possibly some games as well.

    For all the pissing and moaning about Sony going digital, you can thank Apple for that, if it weren't for the million upon millions who love to buy everything off the app store instead of purchasing it in an actual store. You think Sony's case here would have made any difference? Idiots, software was never yours when you purchased it, read the terms of usage on every piece of software you "own", you are paying for a license to use it that is it, nothing more. I hate when idiots spout off things, why would someone give you unmitigated ownership of something that they busted their asses to make? In this free trade system where in the world did you come up with a confused train of thought as that?

    One thing that people should really pay attention to is that when someone messes with business and the government gets involved it's because something is at stake. Sony is pushing hard, but that doesn't mean the court will bend over backwards and allow anything goes, Sony has to provide proof before the court "OK's" anything. If it weren't legal, then Hots' lawyer could have brought up issue with it, yes? Ahh, I'm no professional in any of this legal crap, but I do remember that verbal agreements are binding in civil matters, and written rules than preface use of services are also binding if you begin and continually use the service. Violation of implied rules to which you agreed can be grounds for termination of your service without you really having much of a case to fight it. Isn't this why everyone has agreements for every kind of service we use? Nothing goes without something written down that must be adhered to and if you violate can have a great many things done to remove you from property, terminate services or legal action. I'm making myself sick with all this jargon as I hate the fact we have people who like to steal and just basically be jackasses about it.

    I don't hate Hots, but I sure wished that he went about this stuff a totally different way. He could have alerted Sony to the flaw, and possibly gotten in with them and been able to work and make lots of money as a security online technician. Seriously his abilities are impressive, but wanting to be a "robin hood" wasn't a smart thing to do, you can easily be made into a blight with a simple twist of words and believe me, once people think you are bad, it's damn near impossible to regain their good graces. People of this world are that damn full of themselves, they should be forgiven of their wrongs but anyone else deserves to burn at the stake.

  • Machiavellian #89 1 year ago

    I am more interested in knowing the why of the flight than the whole innocence/guilty aspect. I am sure he consulted his lawyer about the issue and I am sure they told him the pros and cons. Never underestimate the tactics of lawyers. While we may think this is Geohot running, for all we know this is some silly plan by their lawyers to either stymie the investigation or some other crazy strategy.

    As for tampering with his drive, hell it could be his porn collection he doesn't want Sony access to which you know would be made public.

    One thing I have to say is that the courts has provided Sony with some unprecedented amount of discovery which no sane individual should be comfortable with.

  • arcam #90 1 year ago

    @Greybeard

    Any links? Not that I don't believe you :) The only thing I can find is Sony's motion to dismiss: http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/dis...

    It would have been good for Eurogamer to list those things as sources. The only source Eurogamer mentions, and the only thing they quote, is written by Sony's lawyers.

    The article even says in the intro: "according to the disgruntled platform holder".

  • man.the.king #91 1 year ago

    @EVERYBODY ON THIS THREAD

    To people who think Geohot is "teh evil", posts like E2K's are a "voice of reason".

    To people who think Geohot is some sort of Cyber-Robin Hood or to 360 fanboys, posts like TruthSlayer's & FortysixterUK's are the "lone voice of reason amidst insanity".

    The only voice of reason I see on this godforsaken comments thread is that of kangarootoo.
    Edited by man.the.king at 23/03/11 @ 18:03

  • Murton #92 1 year ago

    The man, and I use the word "man" in its loosest possible sense just keeps digging himself deeper and deeper into this hole. If he simply complied with all requests it would have remained a civil matter and would have been resolved reasonably quickly. By defying the court he has potentionally made it a criminal matter and now fleeing the country makes it a felony.

    Perhaps SCEA should do what so many people here have suggested in the past and offer him that dream job, not forgetting of course to do the full Valve and invite the FBI to attend the job interview as well. Would be amusing to see this guy in a federal prison next to would be terrorists and mass murderers.

  • Sunyavadin #93 1 year ago

    What the hell? I log on, on the only computer I EVER log into EG on, my laptop, and find that for this one article alone a bunch of comments have apparently been negged by me?

    I was gonna remain neutral on this matter but just for that I'm marking up every single one of them.

    Right after changing my password.

  • AnteCashovina #94 1 year ago

    Its becuz he rapped. Sony was like " Lets fuck his punk ass up"
    Edited by AnteCashovina at 23/03/11 @ 18:08

  • betrayerofhope #95 1 year ago

    oooh poor fool. He deserves all of it though. The price of fame is not always girls and money. Maybe he can rap his way out of jail

  • Sunyavadin #96 1 year ago

    Also - can the fanboy trolls please piss off and let the adults talk? How come everyone making a rational argument or pointing out facts gets negged here?

  • kalinichenko #97 1 year ago

    seems the guy is on VACATION,would be stupid on his part to run anyway.

  • bwiancohen #98 1 year ago

    Ahhhh GeoHotz. A tosser if ever there was one. Lets see....perjury....obstruction....lol. Do you fancy doing a new rap now?

  • _LarZen_ #99 1 year ago

    Haha, run you pice of shit.

  • Sunyavadin #100 1 year ago

    @Parsnip "it's not about being a Sony fanboy (although,I am!) it's about this little fool learning that he has no right to muck about with another persons property , whether it be Sonys or the guy next door. "

    He mucked about with HIS property, not Sony's, or anyone else's. Anyone else who used his mod, was personally choosing to muck about with THEIR property.

    I could mod my 360 if I wanted. And as it's MY PROPERTY, there's not a lot MS can do about it. Sure, they could ban me from Live. That's their right, the Live servers are THEIR property. But the box itself is MINE.


    Of course, if that's your mindset, I bet Ikea would love to slam you with a criminal damage suit for all the wear and tear you've caused to THEIR sofa and bed.

  • Machiavellian #101 1 year ago

    The more I look into the situation the more I see this as some type of Lawyer type of ploy. Right now do not forget that the case isn't really going on yet. This is just the first faze to decide weather or not the case should be tried in ligation happy California. It's time to bring out the popcorn and see how this case develops.

    Also before people start to condemn this guy, remember he is going up against a big corporation. You can pretty much throw out the pride and as long as you can win. You can believe that Sony will not try everything they can to get a win and if Geohot is smart so should he.

  • pesser #102 1 year ago

    RUN FOREST RUN AHAHAHHA

  • Vin #103 1 year ago

    Haul ass down to Cuba, Georgie. Or one of the other non-extradition states, ideally.

  • patchbox360 #104 1 year ago

    code breakers are the worse - except if the nazi's make a come back

  • patchbox360 #105 1 year ago

    code breakers are the worse - except if the nazi's make a come back

  • McShifty #106 1 year ago

    @Collymilad

    I wouldn't say I was rooting for the massive 'evil' corporation, more the developers who bring us amazing games like Uncharted and LBP and who don't deserve to be put out of business because little Georgie boy was on an ego trip.

    This may not fit in with your blinkered view of the world but Sony isn't one man sat in a big leather arm chair stroking a white cat, it's thousands of people and thousands of families all supported by wage slips that Mr. Hotz's work, intentionally or not, could have taken away.

  • scoop #107 1 year ago

    He puts on a good show of bravado, but come on he must be shitting himself.

    He asked for it, but really how many times do you need to kick someone when they screw up? He's just a kid.

  • dave-on #108 1 year ago

    Sony have the $'s. They can do what they like it seems. Bring on the negs :)

  • jjolley #109 1 year ago

    The guy's obviously got some serious problem. It takes some real intellect to be as stupid as he is.

    Anyways, a possible Webber musical might come out of this, featuring such re-worked classics as:
    It's too Darn Hotz
    Jailbreak Hotel
    Hotz me with your Ps3
    24 hours to Rio
    Don't cry for me Argentina
    and of course we mustn't forget the oklahoma reworking "Some people think i'm a prick"

    Seriously, if this is actually true it really is pathetic.

  • arcam #110 1 year ago

    @cthulhu_steev

    I appreciate the extra info, although there's no need for the pissy attitude, especially when your link is broken.

    However, what I said was that the EG article is written from the Sony lawyers' perspective, with no input from the judge or Hotz' legal counsel. I see nothing in the article that suggests EG took into account or even saw that series of emails, and there is no reference to the response from Hotz' lawyer that I can read in your link.

    Again though, appreciate you bringing evidence and sources to the discussion.

  • zedzee #111 1 year ago

    He should've done a Banksy and stayed anonymous - all sh*t artists do that - this way he could've carried on hacking the hell out of the PS3 and annoyed Sony even more.

    Holding a press conference to announce that you've hacked the PS3...

    Do. You. Catch. My. Drift?

  • silversun #112 1 year ago

    "Already see the teaser-trailer:

    A helicopter lands on a small island, secret agents walking towards a man who is under an umbrella, enjoying a coconut drink on the beach. An agents says (in japanese, subtitled) "we need you, security has been breached"
    the man removes his sunglasses and is revealed to be K. Katuragi
    In another shot, George Hotz is walking towards his wife and their newborn, but notices the Sony/FBI-agents on the lookout
    narrator: "his hacking made him who he is today, but can he leave everything behind?.."
    Next, a metro-chase scene, with added shooting.
    then, fade to black, and a release date is shown.

    Of course, columbia tristar is making the film :-D "

    So my question is who will make the video game version of the film? , umm hang on wait a second.

    Seriously though i still think both sony and hotz have acted stupidly with this whole situation and i hope it it gets sorted out.

  • arcam #113 1 year ago

    @cthulhu_steev

    No probs, I guess I was just a bit annoyed at the the poor quality of the article. Your one single comment was better researched than this piece.

    I mean, "Sony claims Geohot is on the run"? Have Sony or their lawyers said anything like that? Hell, it's a games site, I don't expect much research, but if EG are going to base the article on one single source, the least they could do is not completely misinterpret it.

    My point was really just don't base opinions on this Eurogamer news story, because EG truly have no idea what they're talking about.
    Edited by arcam at 23/03/11 @ 20:48

  • MMMarmite #114 1 year ago

    @Sunyavadin "He mucked about with HIS property, not Sony's, or anyone else's. Anyone else who used his mod, was personally choosing to muck about with THEIR property."

    He may own the console but the technology and software are still the property of Sony (among others), if he wrote his own OS to install on the PS3 then fair enough but from what I've read he didn't.

  • coolbritannia #115 1 year ago

    ploop wins the internet today.

  • Kaminari #116 1 year ago

    Ernesto would be proud.

  • mr.smeg #117 1 year ago

    I bet he went to Bolivia, that's where all the outlaws go. It's no Australia though...

  • Stop-gap #118 1 year ago

    Leave George alone!
    LEEEAVE GEOORRRRGE ALOOOOONNNNEE!

  • Caimbeul #119 1 year ago

    Run Forest Run!

  • Valland #120 1 year ago

    You don't mess with the Gestapo... I mean Sony!

  • mingster #121 1 year ago

    Lol this article is complete bull.
    Just read PSX Scene for up to date info on what's happening.

  • RobotRocker #122 1 year ago

    The take away from this thread will be that it's rather comforting knowing that people wish to willingly praise a company without the full details of a case just because they make videogames. Can't buy that brand loyalty.

    William Gibson is looking more a prophet than a fiction writer now.

  • azix2 #123 1 year ago

    [link url=http://psx-scene.com/forums/f6/geohot-flees-south-america-83925/
    ]http://psx-scene.com/forums/f6/geohot-fl...[/link]

    all a bunch of BS from sites that have no self respect

  • Lamb #124 1 year ago

    This just in....Hotz with thumb on the tip of his nose wriggling his fingers!!!!

    Like I said the next big hack could be from a third world country but I didn't think it would be from Hotz being there. :D

    Technically he did nothing wrong in freeing his console from the tyrannical clutches of Sony who want us to read all the fine print whenever there is an update, and not use the console in ways we can imagine using it.

    We choose whether we want to cheat or pirate.

    We choose whether we want to support Sony and the creation of better games.

    When we choose pirating without ever buying a game we say that we don't care if this form of entertainment does not exist tomorrow. And for some people that is true and thats their perogative.

    In this case thats overblown by Sony and they are attacking our imagination by limiting us.

    Sony can ban any pirated console from going online. The majority of people prefer the convenience of online.

    Sony cannot arbitrarily add clauses to its agreements without negative reaction. They cannot add your soul belongs to Sony.

    The hardware clearly belongs to the person who bought it, the Air Force, scientific researchers, whomever.

    If someone wants to have two OSes on it thats their perogative.

  • Headless_Monkey_Boy #125 1 year ago

    @MMMarmite, but not Just you

    He didn't have to write his own, he used Linux which is open-source. It says on the side of his ps3 box (or in the manual) that he can and he liked that and it was an incentive for getting one.

    Then after selling millions of units Sony decrees that *"thou shalt not use your OWN hard earned technology in such a base way" (they made so that you cant install your own OS)

    This made Hotz and many other people who own the Ps3 sad :-( , cos they could no longer use thier ps3s to play kill bill, which was why they bought it.

    To me and presumably Hotz thats the equivelant of building and selling someone a tv, sneaking into their house, and rewireing it so that it can only function as a toaster then claiming "well i made it! i can do what i want with it!"
    Then when the property is fiddled back to the original functionality its "you can't do that, i made it, see you in court"

    This is the real issue here, not the piracy, thats alledgedly (key word, cos this is what the courts are trying to find out) not his responcibility (his fault though, he freely admits this) just as the Hack is Sony's fault (but not their responcibility) Hotz is the scapegoat (untill the courts prover otherwise cos guilty or not sony knows how to force a verdict)

    I think its a question of ownership, and if not then a licence missold as ownership to which you have no rights.


    *not an actual quote from sony, y'now incase their Lawers are reading, any text in this post does not officially represent the views and opinions of the Sony corp.... but you know, actions speeak louder than words
    Edited by Headless_Monkey_Boy at 24/03/11 @ 03:56

  • Lamb #126 1 year ago

    http://www.maxconsole.net/content.php?45...

  • Spong #127 1 year ago

    The amount of mindless sheep in this thread is sickening. This is about Sony et al wanting more and more power over their consumers. I hope to hell they lose the action they're taking because, otherwise, it'll set a precedent whereby we technically don't own the machines we pay money for. I didn't rent my console from Sony, I fucking well bought it. If I choose to mod it or even smash it up with a little hammer, that's my damn right because I have a receipt of purchase, a document of ownership that says it's MY property, not Sony's.

    Sony has become an arrogant, bullying cunt.
    Edited by Spong at 24/03/11 @ 04:40

  • NeverWinter78 #128 1 year ago

    Im not a Sony fan far from it but I hope Sony nail his ass to the wall. People like him are the reason we all have to spend money on firewalls and antivirus each year and worry if our online accounts are safe or not

  • Marshall2008 #129 1 year ago

    How can Sony get away with this and the US courts made jailbreaking the iOS platforms legal? Surely it's pretty much the same thing.

    What we need is a Cydia store for the PS3 and the courts will have no option but to make it all legal.
    Edited by Marshall2008 at 24/03/11 @ 07:09

  • Xboxfanuk #130 1 year ago

    Maybe he will run into Kadaffi in Panama or wherever.

  • E2K #131 1 year ago

    Spong, you are the mindless sheep.

    Sony doesn't care about you, if you mod your PS3 into a coffee machine, or if you put it inside a laptop like this (hack) ben heck. Modify the OS on your PS3, and, when detected they will ban you from the PSN, that is the worst thing Sony will or can do to you.

    Now, if you were blogging about compromising the PS3 security, releasing security keys, releasing custom firmwares, writing guides on how to break the PS3 security etcetera, then you are in breach of US law, and they will go after you. It is in their right to do that, as it is in your right to modify your PS3 to fit inside a laptop or whatever.

    You do not want to understand this because you are a 360 fanboy. But I won't judge you, as I pity your console and lack of good exclusives for the past few years.

  • SeesThroughAll #132 1 year ago

    ROFL

    Boy, am I glad I wasn't stupid to actually go and pay his trip! :D

  • Xardan #133 1 year ago

    What Spong said.

  • Spekingur #134 1 year ago

    If this had been Microsoft they would have had Hotz hired by now.

  • ShiftyGeezer #135 1 year ago

    Misleading title and poor journalism. At best you should have a question mark at the end of the title, or incorporate "allegedly" into it. Instead of parotting VGHQ's take, Eurogamer, you should have got your facts straight first. Check a proper site like Groklaw to read the real legal ongoings, instead of being a dumb pawn in the PR battle of misinformation.

  • MMMarmite #136 1 year ago

    @Headless_Monkey_Boy - That clears up a few things, If Sony had never removed the Other OS feature we wouldn't be seeing any of these headlines. Sony really should take some of the flak here, either they should have never included the feature or added more security so the feature isn't exploitable by pirates, but useful for homebrewers and experimenters.

  • arcam #137 1 year ago

    From Hotz' attorney:

    ""The 'integral components' SCEA is talking about are stock controller cards, not the hard drives themselves," Kellar told IGN in an e-mail. "The neutral subsequently had to explain to SCEA the form and function of hard drive controller cards. Those controller cards have since been provided to the neutral so the point is moot."

    Kellar also states Hotz is using the donation money he received for the lawsuit only and will donate any leftover funds after the case has been resolved.

    "You can never take a vacation from a lawsuit. Mr. Hotz has had to make himself available 24/7 for this litigation, which has been quite demanding on him," he said. "You have to remember that Mr. Hotz didn't choose to fight this battle, but now that he has been sued, he has put his heart into fighting this case that has enormous implications for consumers world-wide."

    "As for any question as to whether Mr. Hotz has used donation money to take a trip to South America, that's pretty silly. Litigating against a massive company like Sony, who is represented by five attorneys, is very costly for a 21-year-old," Kellar added. "The donation money George has received is being used exclusively for his legal defense. If there are any funds left after the lawsuit, George is planning to donate the money to the EFF [Electronic Frontier Foundation]."
    Edited by arcam at 24/03/11 @ 10:29

  • geeza2020 #138 1 year ago

    E2K - "You do not want to understand this because you are a 360 fanboy. But I won't judge you, as I pity your console and lack of good exclusives for the past few years"

    Soooo you're a PS3 fanboy then, making your opinion entirely worthless on this subject. I mean seriously, pittying someone because of their console choice? Stop being such a child.
    Edited by geeza2020 at 24/03/11 @ 12:04

  • NeoKenzi #139 1 year ago

    So funny... I know that there will be a film of this very soon! This is like Wesley Snipes all over again bar the tax evasion.

  • Planeswalker #140 1 year ago

    Bet you're not feeling so hot right now heh Georgie?

    Now their gonna hack you.

    "You have to remember that Mr. Hotz didn't choose to fight this battle"

    Course not, hey he didn't even wanted to hack it, it was an accident! And he didn't want the bragging rights either!
    Edited by Planeswalker at 24/03/11 @ 14:05

  • sloppyjoe56 #141 1 year ago

    Alright The U.S. tracks down And kills bin laden Now sony is going to track down Goerge Hotz!And sonys going to have there Japenese Mercs&Secret Agents And Shoves A joystick Up his ass And gives his half life Body To us gamers Lmao :p